BEIRUT: Filipino worker Loren Capobres said the world stood still when she kissed Pope Leo’s hand this week in Lebanon, but hopes his message for peace will linger after his departure, leading to better working conditions and a lasting peace in the country. Capobres, who is Catholic and has worked in Lebanon for 17 years, met Leo on Monday, alongside priests and other church volunteers on his first overseas trip as pope, in which he called on the Middle East’s leaders to reject the horror of war.

The American pope called on crisis-hit Lebanon to embrace peace and stem the country's accelerating emigration, urging leaders to put themselves 'at the service of your people'…

Pontiff tells politicians and religious heads they must persevere with peace efforts despite facing ‘highly complex, conflictual’ situation